Gamecocks Slip In Polls, Head To SEC Tourney

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — Despite losing two of three at home to LSU over the weekend, the Gamecock baseball team still finished the regular season in the top ten in all three major college baseball polls. Monday, USC dropped two spots to #4 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Carolina dropped five spots to #7 in Baseball America and stayed steady at #3 in Collegiate Baseball. The Gamecocks traveled to Hoover, AL by bus Monday for the SEC Baseball Tournament. Because it finished on top in the SEC East Division, USC is the #2 seed and has a first round bye. Sumter freshman Jordan Montgomery will start the Gamecocks’ first game Wednesday night against an opponent to be determined. USC Head Baseball Coach Ray Tanner said his team, which has a 39-15 overall record and finished the SEC 18-11, is on the cusp of earning a top eight national seed for the NCAA tournament. Tanner thinks several more wins at the SEC Tournament will strengthen the defending back-to-back national champions’ case to earn the right to play at home until the College World Series.